Möller is the author of the bookDie heimliche Medienrevolution – Wie Weblogs, Wikis und freie Software die Welt verändern ("The secret media revolution: How weblogs, wikis and free software change the world").[7] In the book, Möller discusses the development of a journalistic equivalent to theopen-source movement incitizen media and blogging, though pointing out that most blogs do not compete with mainstream media.[8] The book was first published in 2005 byHeinz Heise and a second edition was published in 2006,[7] with updated and revised chapters.[9] A review inBerliner Literaturkritik's saw practical tips but claimed the book focused too much on technical details.[10] Möller's book is cited in the 2006 bookWiki: Web collaboration, in a section discussing "Wikis as an Engine for Social Change", and his term "secret media revolution" is used.[11] The authors comment: "Möller provides a comprehensive look at the problems and possible solutions in dealing with difficult controversies and vandalism in blog and wiki environments."[11]
In his earlier research on Wikipedia, Möller found in 2003 that Wikipedia's open-source nature garners interest from many individuals, but also leads to gaps in topics of interest to experts.[12] Some of his research was published inTelepolis, where he compared Wikipedia to the digitalmultimedia encyclopediaMicrosoftEncarta.[13] In his 2003 articleDas Wiki-Prinzip: Tanz der Gehirne ("The Wiki principle: Dance of the brain"), he gives some background of Wikipedia and wikis, as well as on what he sees as the benefits of the project, ways to prevent vandalism to articles, and theetiquette of Wikipedia users.[14]
At a 2005 blogger conference inBerlin, Möller gave a lecture on theOpen Source Initiative,free knowledge andWikinews, discussing the latter in the context of other models used bySlashdot,Kuro5hin,Daily Kos and others.[17] At an Austrian conference on wikis inVienna in 2005, Möller discussed the advantages of using wikis to compile statistical data, stating that wikis encourage internal transparency and greater participation among coworkers.[18]
Erik Möller and Sumana Harihareswara at the 2011 Mumbai HackathonErik Möller of the Wikimedia Foundation talking about theWikipedia Blackout at the opening of the San Francisco Wikipedia Hackathon (two days after the blackout)Erik Möller addressing the 2012 Berlin Hackathon
Möller has been involved with theWikimedia Foundation projects including Wikipedia since 2001, both as an editor and as a developer of theMediaWiki software andWikinews.[19] He drafted the initial project proposal for Wikinews (using the username Eloquence),[2][20] and also was instrumental in developingWikimedia Commons.[21] He first proposed the idea for Wikimedia Commons in March 2004.[22] Möller described a difference between Wikipedia and Wikinews toThe New York Times by saying: "Wikinews articles are short-lived, so there is a reduced feeling of contributing to a knowledge base that will last a lifetime."[2] "We are the new media. We make our own rules,"[23] explained Möller at a 2005 Citizen Reporters' Forum inSeoul.[24] He stated thatWikinews published a print edition every day and was working on other formats, including audio versions of articles.[23] Möller was interviewed byJournalism.co.uk on the eightfold increase in traffic toWikinews on the day of the7 July 2005 London bombings, and on the effects of free news.[25] "While Wikinews is still much, much smaller than Wikipedia, the potential for news coverage goes far beyond what Wikipedia is currently doing," said Möller.[25] He gave periodic "State of the Wiki" reports atWikinews, where he defended the project's use of both original material and information synthesized from other media sources.[26]
Möller was appointed thechief research officer of the WMF in June 2005 but resigned in August that year, citing personal differences with members of the Board.[27][28] He had been chief technology officer of Stichting Open Progress,[29] the not-for-profit legal arm ofOmegaWiki, based in the Netherlands.[21] At Stichting Open Progress Möller was the manager of a group of developers who worked on the implementation of OmegaWiki.[21] Möller also hosted other wiki communities such as WikiEducator.org.[21]
He was elected in September 2006 to replace Angela Beesley on theBoard of the Wikimedia Foundation,[30][31] and in October 2006, he became executive secretary.[32][33] In December 2007, he resigned from the Board and was named deputy director,[34] effective as of 10 January 2008.[35] In this role, Möller was involved with financing analysis for the Foundation, and withexecutive directorSue Gardner gave a presentation toSun Microsystems in an attempt to gain funding from the company for WMF.[36] This presentation was later leaked toWikinews.[36]
As deputy director, Möller was responsible for managing and implementing the technical strategy of the organization.[21][37] Möller explained to theLos Angeles Times that the foundation needed to be careful with the kinds of deals they wanted to make, and said: "We don't want to endanger the mission by entering into deals that would conflict with it."[38] Möller was the Wikimedia Foundation's representative on the institutional council of theEncyclopedia of Life.[39] Through this contact, Möller helped convince theAlfred P. Sloan Foundation (a backer of the Encyclopedia of Life) to donate $3million to Wikimedia, the single largest donation Wikimedia has received to date.[40]
In 2014, Möller's account was blocked on theGerman Wikipedia because he created, implemented and used "superprotect" rights to overrule the German Wikipedia's decision to not enable a new mechanism to view images until legal and technical problems were fixed.[41][42]
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